Cuomo pushes property tax freeze plan in Oneida County

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo shakes hands with Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente following his press conference on property tax cuts at Mohawk Valley Community College on Tuesday, March 18, 2014.
JOHN HAEGER-ONEIDA DAILY DISPATCH @ONEIDAPHOTO ON TWITTER

UTICA >> Touting his proposal to consolidate local governments in order to cut property taxes, Gov. Andrew Cuomo visited Mohawk Valley Community College Tuesday morning.

The two-year plan is supposed to provide a tax credit to families whose local governments comply with a 2 percent cap in the first year, resulting in a 2 percent tax credit for homeowners. In the second year, the local government must stay under the tax cap and submit a shared services plan with neighboring local governments that achieves savings equal to 1 percent of the combined tax levy in year one, 2 percent in year two and 3 percent by year three of implementation. The tax credit plan will be in place for five years.

The freeze will generate an estimated $1 billion in tax relief for homeowners.

“Sky-high property taxes have been driving families and businesses out of upstate New York for far too long; but this year, we have an opportunity to change the dynamic,” Cuomo said. “Thanks to three years of responsible fiscal management, we now have an opportunity to cut property taxes, incentivize local governments to reduce costs, and provide more than $1 billion in real tax relief to millions of New Yorkers. In order for this to happen, the Legislature must pass our property tax cut proposal this year.”

Advertisement

Cuomo was optimistic about getting the 2015 budget passed on April 1, which would make the fourth year in a row that New York has passed its budget on time. If the budget is passed, the plan can begin next year.

With more than 10,500 local governments, Cuomo said New York is the highest taxed state, and some county taxes are the highest in the country.

There are 175 elected New York officials who support the plan.

Oneida County has 350 local governments. Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente supports Cuomo’s plan for consolidation.

“The governor is right,” Picente said. “This plan is about restructuring and helping the homeowner, which is right where it starts.”

Oneida County has been working on consolidation since 2011. In 2012, it consolidated its 911 services by combining both the Utica and New Hartford call centers with the county’s, creating one large call center and reducing the cost to tax payers.

“This is not an insurmountable task; it’s just getting people to work together and share services,” Cuomo said. “I’m talking about sharing things like purchasing, insurance, maintenance of vehicles -- it’s common sense.”

Cuomo says he has heard a lot of backlash from communities that do not want to consolidate because “they wish to do everything their own way.”

“I understand this is difficult; change is hard,” Cuomo said. “The answer can’t always be more money. Many local governments just raise their taxes to avoid having to do anything and the tax rate is driving people out of the state.”

Cuomo also said many families have had to “tighten their belt” in these hard economic times, and that it is time for government to do the same.

For more information on the tax cut plan, visit: cutpropertytaxes.ny.gov.

About the Author

Kristin Clark is a Copy Editor and Reporter for both the Oneida Dispatch and Rome Observer. She is a graduate of Morrisville State College. She focuses on stories in the Rome area and some sports. Reach the author at kclark@oneidadispatch.com
or follow Kristin on Twitter: @RO_Kristin.